Jain Philosophy (2) 12 – Dhyäna (Meditation)
Meditation in Jain Scriptures
Meditation (Dhyäna) is the process of concentration of the mind on a single topic preventing it from wandering. We are always every moment in meditation; either virtuous or non_virtuous.
This concentration could arise from intense passions like attachment, aversion, hatred, animosity, etc. This is not virtuous meditation. Since non_virtuous meditation is a cause of rebirth, it is worthy of rejection. On the other hand, if it arises from the search for the truth and from absolute detachment towards worldly affairs, it is virtuous meditation. It is the cause of spiritual good and liberation, so worthy of acceptance. It can be practiced by a person with a physical constitution who can keep his thought activity from drifting and concentrate solely on the nature of self. When the soul gets rid of all auspicious and inauspicious intentions and dilemmas and attains a state of unbiased absorption, then all bonds of Karma break down. In fact, virtuous meditation entails forgetting all worries, intentions and dilemmas and stabilizes the mind.
Virtuous meditation purifies the mind, speech and body. However, it is of no avail to inflict pain on the body if it is not going to purify the thoughts. One who stabilizes the mind and concentrates on self definitely achieves salvation. Meditation is the only means to stabilize the mind. To do virtuous meditation, it has to be preceded by Swädhyäy. Here Swädhyäy is the cause and meditation is the effect. One of the parts of Swädhyäy is contemplation (Anuprekshä) and deep contemplation. It involves contemplating about the nature of soul, thinking of the difference between soul and matter, and concentrating on the true self. This leads to meditation. Without the knowledge of what is soul, what is karma, what are the teachings of Tirthankars and similar subjects, how can one engage in virtuous meditation?
Four Kinds of Meditation:
Non_virtuous Meditation
Sorrowful (Ärta Dhyäna) meditation
Wrathful (Raudra Dhyäna) meditation
Virtuous Meditation
Righteous (Dharma Dhyäna) meditation
Spiritual (Shukla Dhyäna) meditation
Ärta Dhyäna (Sorrowful Meditation)
The Sanskrit word Ärta means sorrow. The thought or activity caused by an outburst and intensity of sorrow is sorrowful meditation. In other words, it is to feel sorry for losing or fear of loosing likeable things or for not getting rid of dislikable things. It is of the following four types:
Dislike related (Anishta_samyoga) sorrowful meditation
It is persistent thought and worry about the removal of disagreeable orients, situations or events.
Attachment related (Ishta_viyoga) sorrowful meditation
It is the constant feelings of anguish on the loss of some likeable object or person, such as wealth, spouse or child, and the preoccupation to recover the lost objects.
Suffering related (Vedanä) sorrowful meditation
It is having persistent desire for less suffering. This is thinking of getting rid of or remedying agony and malady.
Desire related (Nidäna) sorrowful meditation
It is having persistent desire for better future pleasures and comforts. One doing religious activities hoping to obtain material pleasure as the fruits of these activities is called desire related sorrowful meditation.
Raudra Dhyäna (Wrathful Meditation)
The Sanskrit word Raudra, means wrathful (harsh, lacking mercy). The meditation involving inclement thoughts is called inclement or wrathful meditation. In other words, one becomes happy by performing sinful acts. Based on the cause, wrathful meditation has been divided into four types:
Violence enchantment (Himsä_änand) wrathful meditation
It involves thoughts of enchantment (delight) generated by teasing, hurting and /or killing animals and other living beings. Cruel, angry, immoral, non_religious and passionate people indulge in such meditation. Violence enchantment meditation also includes contemplation about revenge, planning to beat or kill someone and enjoying visions of deadly war scenes.
Untruth enchantment (Mrushä_änand) wrathful meditation
It is thoughts involving false imagination stained with sinful intentions. A person with this type of meditation takes delight in a variety of intentions and alternatives based on untruth.
Stealing enchantment (Chaurya_änand) wrathful meditation
It involves thoughts of ways to steal and misappropriate other’s wealth or beautiful things. Protection and preservation of property (Parigraha_änand) wrathful meditation
It is contemplation about schemes of accumulation of material wealth and the means of material comforts.
Summary of above two types of Dhyäna
Sorrowful and wrathful meditations hinder spiritual uplift. They obscure the attributes of soul.
They cause the natural disposition of self to disappear and initiate corrupt dispositions. Both these meditations are inauspicious and lead to an undesirable destination by accumulating more Karma. They are not related to spiritual advancement in any manner.
Dharma Dhyäna (Righteous and Religious Meditation)
Contemplation about devotion beneficial to self and others, and proper conduct is righteous meditation. It is one for the purification of the soul. By practicing this meditation in all of its aspects right faith, right knowledge and right conduct are attained, and karma start to shed. Righteous meditation is of four types. (Note that Vichaya means thinking or Vichär)
Doctrine oriented (Äjnä_vichaya) righteous meditation:
It is contemplation about reality as described in the scriptures. Äjnä means whatever an all_knowing omniscient has said about religious truth is correct and true. One should not raise any doubts about them. Instead, one should think that it is possible that because of degrading time, the absence of an omniscient person, low caliber of my intellect, or any such reasons, I cannot comprehend the said religious truth but it is the truth. Omniscient Bhagawän has no reason to tell anything untrue. To think this way is called doctrine oriented righteous meditation (Äjnä Vichaya Dharma Dhyäna).
Suffering oriented (Apäya_vichaya) righteous meditation:
To think of the nature of unhappiness and misery as generated by defilements like attachment,, hate, strong desire for worldly pleasure and then to think about how to get rid of the defilements, is called universal suffering oriented righteous meditation (Apäya Vichaya Dharma Dhyäna).
Karmic fruition oriented (Vipäk_vichaya) righteous meditation:
To think that whatever pain or misery I suffer at every moment, wherever I move in the cycle of birth and death in worldly life, whatever ignorance I suffer are the results of my own deeds (Karma). I must practice equanimity during the fruition of different kinds of Karma so that new karma are not acquired. I must perform austerities to get rid of the existing Karma. This is karmic fruition oriented righteous meditation (Vipäk Vichaya Dharma Dhyäna).
Universe oriented (Samsthäna_vichaya) righteous meditation:
It is contemplation about the nature and structure of the universe. There are three worlds in the universe. They are the upper world, middle world and lower world. These three worlds are filled with living (Jiva) and non_living (Ajiva) elements. The transmigratory soul has gone through all these three worlds since beginningless time. As a result of the fruits of one’s own past deeds, the soul has been going through the infinite cycle of birth and death. This has happened due to ignorance, false beliefs, and not understanding the truth and reality. To think this way is called universe oriented righteous meditation (Samsthäna Vichaya Dharma Dhyäna).
Shukla Dhyäna (Spiritual and Purest Meditation)
The concentration achieved by an immaculate mind is the spiritual meditation. Spiritual meditation occurs to very highly progressed spiritual souls. It occurs at the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th stages of spiritual progress (11, 12, 13, and 14 Gunasthänas). The highly spiritual soul has either suppressed or removed all deluding karma. This meditation is of four types as mentioned below. It consists of four states: Multi aspect (Pruthaktva_vitarka), single aspect (Ekatva_vitarka), subtle activity (Sukshma_kriyä Apratipäti) and absorption in self (Vyuparat_kriyä Anivritti). Vitarka means scriptural text or Sutra. A person who is in 11th and 12th Gunasthäna and is versed in the Purva texts performs the first two Shukla Dhyäna. There are exceptions possible like Mäsatusa and Marudevi, even though not versed in the Purva, can engage in Shukla Dhyäna. Only Kevali (13th or 14th Gunasthäna) can engage in the last two subtypes of Shukla Dhyäna.
Multi aspect spiritual meditation (Pruthaktva_vitarka)
It is performed by anaspirant with scriptural knowledge. Here the aspirant is attempting to attain the spiritual stages of subsidence or destruction of the conduct deluding Karma. The aspirant concentrates upon the three modes – origination, cessations, and continuity – of a particular substance (one of Shad Dravya). This type o f meditation involves shifting of attention between the meaning, word and activity of the aspects of the substance. Hence, it is called multi aspect meditation with shifting. This meditation suppresses or eliminates conduct – deluding Karma (Chäritra Mohaniya).
Single aspect spiritual meditation (Ekatva_vitarka)
It is contemplation on a single aspect of reality on the basis of scriptural knowledge by an aspirant who is in the delusion free (Kshina_moha) spiritual stage. The aspirant concentrates on one particular form, word, or activity of the aspect of a substance without shifting. Such meditation is the single aspect stage of spiritual meditation. This meditation eliminates the four destructive (Ghäti) karma, namely perception obscuring, knowledge obscuring, deluding and obstructing Karma. Thus, it leads to omniscience.
Subtle activity spiritual meditation (Sukshma_kriyä Apratipäti)
It is performed by an omniscient who has eliminated the gross activities of body, speech and mind, and has only subtle activities. Here the association of soul with body causes only subtle movements of the space_points of the soul. Hence, it is called the subtle activity stage of spiritual meditation.
Absorption in self spiritual meditation (Vyuparat_kriyä_anivritti)
It is performed by an omniscient that eliminates even the slightest activity of the soul in spite of its association with the body. All activities (of the space points of the soul) cease in this meditation. Thus the influx of even the pleasant feeling pertaining (Shätä Vedaniya) Karma is stopped. Finally, all karma are shed and the soul attains salvation. At the end of this meditation, the soul obtains nirvana. The Soul becomes free of all karma, reaches the permanent adobe of Siddha (Siddha Loka) and resides in pure happiness forever.
According to Jain Scriptures, Shukla Dhyäna is not possible here on this planet at present time. Some misinterpret Shukla Dhyäna as a meditation of bright white color. However, here Shukla does not mean white but pure and it involves the meditation of the self (soul). Maximum time, one can be in meditation is less than 48 minutes.
Conclusion
Meditation means the process of concentration of the mind on a single topic. Meditation purifies the body, speech and mind and most importantly the soul. It is of no avail to inflict pain on the body without purifying thoughts. One who stabilizes the mind and concentrates on the self definitely achieves salvation. There are four kinds of meditations – sorrowful, inclement, righteous and spiritual. Sorrowful and inclement meditations are inauspicious and make the soul wander in the transmigratory state with resultant suffering of innumerable births and deaths. Righteous meditation is of an auspicious type. Spiritual meditation occurs at a very high level of spiritual growth of the soul and it ultimately ends in salvation – nirvana of the soul. Now the soul lives in permanent happiness in a pure state forever.
One should not be misled that physical exercises, Äsana and similar health improving activities, are Dharma Dhyäna. However, good health for good spiritual practice is desirable. Dharma Dhyäna is essentially a spiritual contemplation.
